Swiss Bench vs. Barbell Bench Press: Which Is Better for Strength & Powerlifting?
When it comes to our bench press in strength & powerlifting, we have our standard power barbell that’s used in our competition-based movement, but we also have other alternative barbells that we can use to build strength!
Today we’re discussing the difference between using something like an Ohio bar for our bench press vs. the Swiss bar (or also commonly called the football bar or multigrip bar).
What is the Swiss Bar Bench Press?
The Swiss (multi-grip or football) bar is a barbell that has multiple grip options (usually 3 or 4) on the barbell. It has an appearance similar to a ladder.
What’s the Difference Between a Swiss Bar and Ohio Bar?
Outside of the obvious differences in appearance, the biggest difference between the two barbells are the grip and positioning of the hands. With our standard power barbells, our grip is mostly pronated, meaning our palms will be facing down towards our feet, rather than towards our face.
When it comes to the Swiss bar bench press, our palms are in a neutral, more natural position. In this position, our palms are facing inward towards each other rather than downward towards our feet.
With each, we can still choose to grip from different locations on the barbell; wider, moderate, and more narrow grips, but the slightly altered positioning of the hands make a difference in how muscles are being targeted, and can even improve shoulder health.
Why Use the Swiss Bar?
One of my personal favorite reasons for incorporating the Swiss Bar is the benefits that it has on the shoulders (and overall joints) over our standard power barbells; it creates a more natural and healthier position for the shoulders, not putting excess strain on it like you may see especially with improper technique in competition movements with powerlifters. It’s a great option if you notice the shoulders starting to feel funky, something also very common for powerlifters.
Outside of the benefits to our joint health, it will also slightly alter where our muscles will activate, changing it up slightly from our barbell bench press. This is something to consider if you’re going through a plateau on your bench press; it’s important to add variety every once in awhile through different cycles, especially when a experiencing a plateau in your training.
Which is Better for Powerlifting: Swiss Bar vs. Ohio Bar?
Neither one is “better",” in fact, I would recommend incorporating both a power barbell and speciality barbell into your training at some point, but its important to note that if you’re interested in competing in powerlifting as a sport, prioritizing the technique with your competition movement for bench press should be your main priority. How that may look for each individual will vary, but closer to your powerlifting competition, you’ll want to be sure you’re working with your standard barbell more than you are any other specialty barbells.
